Truth After Truth
by LSpade
Summary: AU. Takes place between 'Supergirl' and 'Homecoming'. Lois goes for drinks with a friend and Clark starts to realize what he's losing. Can he right his wrongs in time, or will everything be lost to him forever?


**Okay, I'd been working on this one shot for a few weeks between all my other stories and work. I don't know, I feel like this kind of wrapped up both **_**Homecoming **_**and **_**Isis**_** with all the Clois business. It's AU, of course. Hope you enjoy.**

**DISCLAIMER: Smallville is not mine…yet. (hint, hint) No, seriously. Not mine.**

Clark fiddled with the police scanner sitting beside his computer. There was nothing newsworthy that he could find and a part of him was relieved. He hadn't had much faith in his super powered abilities lately. Ever since the darkness tried to overtake him the previous week, he couldn't trust himself to protect people. So many doubts swirled in his mind and prevented him from concentrating on being a beacon of hope. Clark wasn't sure if he had what it took to be a hero anymore. He wasn't sure if he ever did.

"Everything okay over there?" Came a voice, but he was too lost in his thoughts to acknowledge it. "Yo! Smallville?"

Finally, Clark's head snapped in the direction of the loud voice. His eyes fell on the brunette sitting at the desk across from him. Every time he looked at her, he was amazed. He was amazed that she was so beautiful; amazed that she was so relaxed around him even after their break up; amazed that she'd come back from Africa; amazed that he ever let her go in the first place.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine," Clark answered, turning his attention back to his computer.

Lois stared at him for a moment. He had been distant from her the past week. Since she had been rescued from Gordon Godfrey's trap, a part of him closed off to her. He was back to being the quiet, reserved guy she met all those years ago, but Lois wouldn't admit how much that hurt. She shrugged her shoulders. "Alright, if you're sure."

"I'm sure," he replied rather quickly.

She nodded awkwardly before turning off her computer. "Okay. Well, I'm done for the day. I guess I'll get going." She stood up, collecting her things.

Clark watched her prepare to leave, musing on whether or not to stop her. He hated the distance that was seemingly growing between them, knowing he was the one who put the strain on their relationship.

Lois was beginning to make her way toward the elevators when Clark stood up. "Hey, uh, Lois," he called out.

She turned around to look at him expectantly. He stood nervously, fiddling with the stapler on his desk. She held her breath, hoping he'd say what she'd been waiting to hear.

Instead, he took a deep breath and looked at her. "I'm gonna be here all night. Do you want me to call you if I hear anything over the wire?"

Her hope faltered. "Uh, no. I-I have plans tonight. Maybe another time."

Clark's heart dropped into his stomach. "Plans?" He squeaked out. "As…as in a date?" He didn't think she would see anyone. He just assumed she missed him even half as much as he missed her.

"No, not really," Lois stuttered nervously. "I'm just meeting up with a friend, going to grab a drink."

'_So, maybe it isn't a guy,'_ Clark thought, his hope rising. "Is she expecting you soon?" he asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"He…and not for another half hour," she said, dreading the discomfited conversation more and more with each passing second. Her heart ached. This is what they've come to; not even being able to talk when it came to other people.

"Oh," Clark said, feeling rather dejected. She was meeting a guy. He already didn't like him. "Well, uh, I guess I won't keep you. Uh, have a good time."

He looked so heartbroken, Lois wanted to just wrap him up in her arms and tell him how she felt. But something held her back. If he wanted her, wouldn't he have tried to get her back? Her heart sank at the realization. No, he was done with their romantic relationship. It was all platonic from this point forward. Besides, she vowed to herself that she wouldn't get involved in any way other than to help him fulfill his "Blur" duties.

"Thanks," she said. He have a quick nod, looking down at his desk. "I'll see you tomorrow." She turned and left the bullpen.

Clark fell back into his chair. He sighed, never having felt so defeated. First, Chloe disappeared, then people were giving into the anti-hero crusade, and now Lois was moving on. Yup. Clark Kent had hit rock bottom. Deciding that his mind wasn't in reporting at the moment, he turned in for the night. He shut down his computer and moved in the direction of the stairs. He didn't want to be alone, so he figured a visit to Oliver Queen was a good idea.

(((o)))

"God, Oliver! I'm going crazy here!" Clark ran his hands through his hair as he paced in front of Oliver's couch.

Oliver watched, quite amused, as Clark continued to pace. "Hey, man. Chill out, alright? If you're this worried about Lois, then tell her you're jealous and you want her back."

Clark turned to his friend to see Oliver with his face practically in his laptop screen. "I'm not jealous," Clark protested, pointing at Oliver. The blonde gave him a pointed look. "Alright, I'm jealous. I don't even know this guy and I want to rip his head off."

"Then why did you let her go on the date?" Oliver asked, closing his laptop and placing it on the glass coffee table as Clark plopped down beside him.

"It was NOT a date."

"Dude, stop making excuses and go get your woman!"

Clark looked at Oliver sadly. "She doesn't want me back. I've lied to her, told her to leave Metropolis, ignored her…the list goes on. I can't keep doing that to her."

"Then tell her the truth. Tell her you love her," Oliver suggested firmly.

Clark shook his head. "I tried that once, but she told me I had to keep my identity a secret. Anyone with high hopes of hurting me will go after her. She'll be in too much danger."

"Clark, this is Lois we're talking about. Putting herself in danger is what she does. Whether you tell her you're the Blur or not, she will be in the same amount of danger as always."

The raven-haired man looked thoughtful. He sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But what if she already moved on…and is happy?"

"You know, sometimes, Clark, you gotta ask yourself. What do you want?" Oliver replied.

Clark smiled. "Chloe told me the exact same thing about a year ago."

Oliver's face softened at the mention of his girlfriend. "Yeah, uh…I guess the little blonde started to rub off on me."

Clark looked at him with a sympathetic smile. "We'll find her, Oliver."

Queen simply nodded, then stood up. "Okay. Enough about my love life. Let's go save yours."

Clark smiled and followed suit. "Thanks, man."

(((o)))

"This is where I heard her, which by the way is a total invasion of her privacy." Clark and Oliver walked into a bar in a prestigious hotel.

"Come on, you can't always be a boy scout," Oliver retorted.

They stopped at the bar counter and saw no sign of Lois. Clark sighed. "She's not here."

Oliver turned to the bartender. "Excuse me. Did you see a tall brunette woman come in here? She has a pretty smile and a hell of an attitude."

Clark pulled out a picture from his wallet. He held it up to the bartender. "Have you seen her?"

The bartender took one look at the picture and smirked. "Oh yeah, I saw her. A real spitfire that one is. She came in alone, ordered a few drinks, and then went out to the lobby. Didn't see here after that, but I'll tell you; Honey shoulda stuck around. I would've shown her a good night."

Clark's jaw clenched involuntarily. The nerve of the guy talking about his Lois. The bartender noticed Clark's expression. "What? Is that your sister?"

Clark leaned over the counter, invading the man's personal space. "That's my _girlfriend_." He made sure to emphasize the word 'girlfriend' out of sheer jealousy.

Oliver tried to hold back his laughter at the horrified look on the bartender's face. Clark was glaring at him; his eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. His hands were in tight fists. If Oliver didn't know better, it looked like Clark was about to jump over the bar and smash the guy's face in.

The bartender took a step back. "I'm sorry, man. I-I didn't know," he stuttered nervously, raising his hands in defense.

"Are you sure you didn't see which way exactly she went?" Oliver asked.

"Uh, she went to the elevators. That's all I saw, I swear." The man never took his eyes off of Clark.

"Alright, let's go," Oliver said, patting Clark on the back. The two men left the bar and went into the lobby of the hotel. Oliver turned to Clark with a grin. "Well, man. That was pretty possessive of you. Taking my advice of being less of a boy scout?"

"I just hate when guys talk about Lois like that," he growled.

"Clark, admit it. You hate when guys talk about Lois period."

They stopped in front of the elevators. "No one's good enough for her. Not even me."

Oliver shook his head with a smile. "Alright. Can you hear her now?"

Clark's eyebrows furrowed as he concentrated on Lois. He could hear her laughter resonate in his ears and his heart sank a little. He turned to Oliver. "She sounds happy. Maybe this isn't a good idea."

"Look, we came all the way out here and we're not leaving just because you're chickening out. I wasn't going to tell you this but Lois came by my office last week. We talked about her coming back and actually talked about you. Nowhere in that conversation did she say she was over you. Didn't even imply it, okay? Being a little bolder than usual will do you some good, Clark."

The darker-haired man smiled slightly. Maybe there was hope after all. "Okay, it sounds like she's close. Maybe within the first ten floors."

"Try listening a little harder. You know what? Let's just get in the elevator." Oliver pressed the up button. "Listen in on each floor."

The two men stepped into the lift. They stopped on each floor until the seventh, where Clark heard Lois's voice. "Okay, now which suite? He asked. Once his hearing picked up her voice loud and clear telling some story about an adventure she had while writing a story behind one door, he looked at Oliver.

"You can do it, Clark," he encouraged.

Clark nodded and raised his hand to knock on the door when he heard a second voice. He tilted his head and listened carefully. Oliver was curious, so he pressed his ear to the door. Clark stared at the door in disbelief.

"Wait a minute, isn't that…?" Oliver stood up straight and looked at the man standing beside him.

Clark didn't even answer. He knocked rather heavily on the suite door. When it swung open, his eyes met the other's.

"Clark."

"I can't believe this," Clark shook his head angrily. "What is going on here?"

"Listen, I can explain."

"Carter, if that's the bellboy again…" A voice came from behind him.

Lois appeared behind Carter Hall. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of her ex-boyfriend before her. Clark stared at her with vexation, but the hurt in his eyes were evident.

"Smallville," Lois began, but was interrupted.

"This was the guy you were meeting?" he asked irately, pointing at Carter.

"Yes, but-"

Clark didn't let her speak. Instead, he turned his attention toward Carter. "I never thought you'd do this to me. I asked you to look after her, not date her!"

Carter kept his mouth shut as Lois stepped in front of him. "We're not dating," she defended. "We were just having drinks."

"The bar's downstairs, Lois. What are you doing in a hotel room?" Clark shouted.

"We were just talking, I swear!" she yelled back. She couldn't believe he was acting this way. "But why am I even explaining anything to you? We're not together anymore. I can do whatever I want!"

Clark felt as if ice water was thrown in his face. He stared at her for a moment. "You're right. You're not mine anymore. I knew I made a mistake coming here. I'm sorry. I'll never bother you again." He turned on his heel and stalked down the hall.

Lois instantly felt remorse, seeing the pain in his eyes and hearing the icyness in his voice. She couldn't let him leave like that. He had to understand. She quickly went after him, leaving Carter and Oliver standing in a awkward silence.

Oliver looked over at the other man. "Tweety," he said curtly.

"Green Bean," Carter grunted. "Wanna come inside?"

"You got any scotch?" Oliver asked.

"Of course. Can't meet Lois Lane without it," Carter replied in his usually gruff voice as the two men entered the suite.

(((o)))

"Clark, stop!" Lois shouted after him, jogging to keep up with his long strides.

"Don't worry about me, Lois," Clark said, continuing to walk. "Just go back to your boyfriend."

"He is not my boyfriend!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in frustration.

Clark snorted and stepped into the empty elevator. Lois ran in just before the doors closed. She blew out a breath in relief, having finally caught up with him and grateful for the confinement of the elevator. He completely ignored her as he pushed the button for the lobby.

"Clark, can you just listen?" she huffed.

"Listen to what? I understand, Lois. You've moved on. I should, too. I came here to get you back, but apparently I'm too late."

"Smallville, Carter and I are not a couple! The only thing we have in common is you. That's all we talk about."

That got his full attention. "Wouldn't it be weird to talk about your ex on a date with someone else?"

"For the last time, it was not a date!" She growled, slamming on the emergency stop button. The lift jolted. "He came from Egypt because I asked him to. Because I wanted to learn more about something and he was the only one I could talk to."

"Lois, if you were talking about me the entire time, why couldn't you just talk to me?" Clark asked.

"Because…because we haven't exactly been on confiding terms since we broke up."

"Because you left me!" he shouted, his patience finally snapping. Her mouth shut at his rising voice. "You left me and who am I to make you stay?"

"My boyfriend, Clark!" Lois yelled, pushing against his chest. "You could've come after me, but you didn't."

"I was going to, but I had to stay for Oliver. I told him you and Chloe left for a reason and it wouldn't be right for me to chase you down if you wanted to leave."

"I didn't want to leave. I had to," she replied with a shake of her head. "For you."

Clark took a step forward, trying to grasp what she was saying. "How could you leaving be for my benefit?"

"You-you told me to go," she stammered, nervous about his close proximity. "You said leaving Metropolis was the best thing for me. If you wanted me so badly, why did you practically shove me out the door?"

"Because I didn't want you in the middle of-" He stopped himself immediately.

"In the middle of what?" she urged. _'This may be it,'_ she thought.

"Nothing," he sighed.

Lois almost growled. She swung her hand back and punched the elevator door, not caring about the pain. "This was part of our problem before! I wanted honesty, but you just turned me away!"

"Well, the honesty road goes both ways. I asked you to be honest with me about the Blur, but you continued to lie to my face," Clark shot back.

"I was protecting him!" Lois shouted.

"And I was protecting you!"

"From what, Clark! What was so dangerous that you had to export me from the country?"

"I was going to disappear and I didn't want you to hate me," he replied weakly.

"Disappear? Clark, what the hell are you talking about?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me!" she yelled. "You know what? Never mind. I can take a hint. I won't push you if you're not ready to let me in. Why should I think I'm special?" She turned to press the emergency stop button.

Without warning, Clark grabbed her arm and spun her around. His other hand slipped around the back of her neck and pulled her head to his in a passionate kiss. Lois was shocked for a fraction of a second before kissing him back. It had been too long since they'd shared such a moment of bliss and Lois just wanted to stay in the moment with him forever. But reality reared its ugly head, causing her to shove at his shoulders, pushing him away from her. He stepped back, breaking the kiss with a dazed smile gracing his kiss-swollen lips.

"Don't think kissing me like that will make me stay," she scolded, pointing a finger at him. "You made me look like a fool in front of Carter."

Clark's face grew furious at the thought of the other man. "Oh, I'm sorry. Forgive me for getting a little angry at seeing one of my friends having drinks with my ex!"

"So that's what you do now? Get angry? What happened to brooding Clark? He wouldn't try checking up on his ex. You weren't like this when Lana was with Lex."

"Because I didn't love Lana like I love you!" Clark shouted, grabbing her by the shoulders, his anger getting the best of him.

Lois was taken aback. Her eyes were wide in shock with her mouth gaping open. "You…you love me?"

He looked at her nervously. He released her and stepped back. "Lois, I…I didn't mean to say that."

"Do you love me?" she asked, more insistent than before, moving closer to him.

"Yes," he answered quietly. He looked down at his shoes, too afraid to look at her.

Suddenly, he was pushed back against the elevator wall and Lois was attacking his lips. Her hands played around his neck and in his hair. Clark reacted immediately by wrapping his arms around her waist. He twirled them around, pressing her against the wall. Lois moaned at the feel of his body pressed against her own.

Slowly, he pulled away. He looked into her haze-filled eyes. "I love you," he said softly.

She smiled and traced his cheek with her fingers. "I love you, too, Smallville."

He grinned widely and kissed her again. "We should probably get out of here. People might need the elevator."

"Right, okay. Leave it to you to make me lose my sense of time," Lois breathed, gently pushing him away. She began smoothing out her clothes.

Clark chuckled, running a hand through his hair, and pressed the emergency stop button. The elevator jolted back to life and stopped on the first floor. Clark took her hand. "Let's get out of here," he smiled at her.

She smiled back and began to follow him, but then halted. "Wait, Smallville. I left my purse in Carter's room. I'll go get it," she said, releasing his hand.

"I'll go, too," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist. "I need to talk to Oliver anyway."

The couple smiled at each other and made their way back to elevators.

(((o)))

Clark had convinced Lois to go back to the farm with him. He decided to tell her his secret. If they were going to be together, this time he wanted to do it right. They walked in through the back door, tossing their coats on the kitchen island.

"You want anything to drink?" Clark asked, walking over to the fridge. "I got beer."

"Clark Kent has beer?" Lois smiled in mock surprise. She took a seat on the stool.

"I made sure I was stocked if you ever came by," he replied, grabbing one for her and a can of soda for him.

"Aww. Thanks for thinking of me," she smiled, twisting the cap off her beer.

Clark leaned forward, his forearms resting on the counter, and looked at her seriously. "I'm always thinking about you."

Lois blushed and tossed him a sheepish smile, looking away. She took a sip of her drink, then cleared her throat. "So, uh, what did you want to talk about? Obviously, it couldn't wait until morning, so spill."

Clark stood straight and was instantly overcome with nerves. "Uh, well…I feel like it's important to let you in on my secret."

"Smallville, you don't have to do this," she shook her head. "Don't feel pressured to spill you deep, dark secrets."

"I don't feel pressured. In fact, I couldn't feel more ready to tell you the truth. Lois, I've always wanted to tell you, believe me, on many occasions I was so close to just blurting it out, but then there's this voice in my head that reminds me I can't put you in danger. I still feel like this will only cause you heartache, just like everyone else who knows, but I can't lie to you anymore. And after I tell you, if you want to walk away, I won't stop you. I'll understand."

Lois couldn't help but smile at Clark's rambling. She stood from her seat and moved over to him. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Clark, nothing you say to me will scare me away, okay? Just take your time," she encouraged.

Clark smiled. God, he loved this woman. He took a deep breath and created some distance between them, turning his back to her. "Lois, there's really no easy way to tell you this, so I'm just gonna say it…I'm the Blur."

When his confession was met with silence, he turned around to see her standing there like a statue. "Lois?" he said cautiously.

All of a sudden, she lunged forward, tackling him to the floor. He landed with a thud and a surprised grunt. He looked up to see her lean down for a kiss. "What took you so long?"

"What?" Clark asked in confusion. "You-"

Lois placed a finger over his lips to silence him. She grinned impishly and he smiled in return. He pulled her down for another kiss. She broke the kiss slowly and looked down at him. "Clark, how well do you know my kisses?"

His eyebrows crinkled together. "How well I know your kisses? What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you think you could tell the difference between my kisses and someone else's?"

"Oh, of course I can," he smiled, running a finger over her lips.

Lois smiled. "Are you sure?"

"Yes…?"

"Well, I know your kisses as well, and imagine my surprise when I find out that the Blur kisses just like you," she grinned.

Clark looked confused again until he realized what she was talking about. "That's how you knew?" he asked with a smile.

"Mmyeah. If you want to keep your identity a secret, don't kiss someone as your alter ego who is already familiar with your lips," she smiled and sat up.

He followed suit and Lois ended up in his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist. "I wasn't suppose to kiss you. It's just…Zod was about to take over the world and I couldn't let that happen. The Book of Rao opened up a portal to a new world that would transport all Kryptonians from Earth, including me. I just wanted to say goodbye. I didn't think that you would figure out it was me from the kiss. I wasn't thinking at all."

"Smallville, why didn't you just tell me?" she asked, stroking his cheek.

"I didn't want to tell you everything just to take it away from you. It would have been better for you to never look back on our relationship," he replied.

"Clark," Lois said softly, cupping his face in her hands. "Even if I left for good and didn't know your secret, I would always look back. What we have means more to me than I could ever try to explain. I love you and that's what brought me back to you. It would've hurt more if I came back and you were gone. I'm glad this is how it went down."

"God, I love you," he said, pulling her in for a passionate kiss. "But why did you leave? It wasn't because I told you to. Otherwise, you would've left right away."

Lois sighed and stood up from his lap. "I, uh…After Lex had kidnapped me, he told me that I was your greatest weakness. I'm a burden to you, holding you back from doing what you have to. I didn't want to stand in your way. He said my death would break you. I figured by the time anything like that were to happen again, I would have given you enough time to get over me, so that you wouldn't be devastated."

Clark stared at her incredulously. He shook his head, stood up, and closed the distance between them. "Lois, I would never be able to get over you, no matter how much time goes by. I love you so much it scares me sometimes. As for being my greatest weakness, you're so far from it. You're what keeps me going. Just remember that, okay?"

Lois blushed slightly, a sweet smile on her face. She nodded before kissing him softly. "So, come on. What guns do you have in your arsenal?"

Clark chuckled. "Well, I guess I should just lay it all out on the table, huh? Let's see…You know I can run fast, I have super strength, super hearing, super breath, x-ray vision, and I can shoot fire out of my eyes."

"Wow!" Lois's eyes lit up like a child's on Christmas morning. "Whoa, hold up. Rewind back to the x-ray vision?"

"I thought you'd react most to that one," Clark said.

"What exactly do you see?" Lois asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No, Lois. I have to focus…I would never invade your privacy like that," he quickly replied.

"So, can you choose how far you see?"

"Uh, yeah," he said hesitantly.

She smirked and placed her hands on her hips. "Alright. What color underwear am I wearing?"

Clark blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling nervously. "Lois…"

"Come on, big boy. Tell me." She continued to smirk.

He looked at her for a moment before blowing out a breath. He stared intently at her, his eyes roaming over her body. Lois bit her lip, anxiously waiting for his answer. When he finally looked up at her face, she raised her eyebrows in silent question.

He took a step toward her. "Gray lace. Purple trim. Matching bra."

She blushed furiously, clearing her throat. "Well…this could get interesting. Although, I can never surprise you."

"You always surprise me, Lois," he said softly, pulling her into his embrace.

Her arms went around his neck and she kissed him deeply. "I really hope this is not a dream," she whispered once they broke apart.

"If anyone's dreaming, it's me. But I'm not. This is real and I need you to know how much I love you," he said, staring deep into her eyes.

"I know. I love you, too," she smiled. "So, that's it right? No more secrets between us?"

"None," Clark whispered and kissed her once more.

**Phew! Long story this one, right? Don't forget to review. That's the best part of the story!**


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